Category Archives: Music

Feb28

Happy Birthday, Mom!

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Happy Birthday, Mom!

My mother at her birthday lunch on Saturday... I don't really know what's going on this picture either.

There is one reader of this blog who dutifully checks in every morning, whether there’s a new post or not.  Now, this could be because she doesn’t know about RSS or that she could sign-up to get an e-mail every time I post something.  (Really, it’s an option when you leave a comment.)  But it could also be because she’s my mother and she loves me and kind of likes to stalk me.  And because today is her birthday, and I know she’s going to read this first thing in the morning…  Happy Birthday, Mom!  I love you!

Beyond just giving her her own blog post with accompanying bizarre picture courtesy of my sister, I recorded a CD’s worth of songs this weekend that, if my dad did his job right, accompanied her on her way to work today. And because some of them were songs that only a mother could love, I’ll spare the rest of you the whole list and just give you my two favorite tracks.  (Not including the Muppet track I posted three months ago.)

First up is a parody of “When I’m 64″ rewritten as “Now You’re 59.”  I fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine and took the original Beatles score and taught myself all the clarinet parts.  The original turns out to be a horrible key for me to sing in, but I didn’t figure that out until after I had recorded the clarinet and piano parts and I wasn’t going to re-record them.

Second, and much more pleasant, is me singing four-part harmony with myself accompanied by my ukulele to cover Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s “Teach Your Children.”  I have half a mind to go spend a bunch of money on a good microphone to make this one sound even better… and fix the rhythm problem in the middle.  For Mom: “Just look at me and sigh… and know I love you.”

Dec15

Dreams (of being a rock star… again)

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Dreams (of being a rock star… again)

Brandi Carlile played in San Francisco last night, but I didn’t go see her because I had my own gig to play at.  (On the other hand, I did see her in St. Paul over Thanksgiving.)  Instead, tonight my second Blue Bear band, Sleigher*, covered Brandi’s song “Dreams” which once again Dave recorded for me.  I have a cold and was a little worried about the high note in the second and third choruses, but I think I hit it.  I did, however, go all out doing so and cracked at the very end.  As a result, I think Oh Darling! was better (and the audio of the recording was certainly better… don’t get me started on my messed up monitor), but this one isn’t bad.  The video is better — it being my fancy camera and all.  Plus, I got to cover Brandi Carlile this time and she’s kind of my hero.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go drink a bunch of tea and honey.

* Get it?  Sleigh?  ‘Cause we’re a Christmas rock band… or something.  We did cover “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” but that came directly after “Dreams” to close the set and my voice sounds pretty ragged on it, and not in a good rock and roll way.  So no Christmas tune for you, even though we did look kind of fun in our Santa and elf hats.

Dec2

Oh my wordy, look who’s… in total denial

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Oh my wordy, look who’s… in total denial

Yep, kind of a big day.  I could be all depressed about turning 30, but that’s pretty impossible with how I spent the last few hours of my 20s.  (And I’m pretty sure my roommate thinks I’m insane.)  Last Saturday, my family went to the movies as kind of an annual post-Thanksgiving tradition, and this year we saw The Muppets.  If you want two hours of pleasant Muppet nostalgia that will have you laughing at fart shoes and spotting lots of random celebrity cameos (James Carville, really?) this is the movie for you.  Also, after the first few lines of the opening number, “Life’s a Happy Song,” I was convinced that it would be perfect for the ukulele.  However, as I didn’t have either of my ukes with me in Minnesota, I had to wait until I got back to San Francisco to test that theory.

Is it perfect?  I don’t know, but it kept me in a pretty good mood during the last few hours of my 20s, even if there wasn’t actually anyone by my side to sing along.  However, there’s a lot of words so I wound up recording the uke track (on my Lanikai LU-6) and the vocal track separately (in the bathroom!) and it shows at certain points.

If you’re not impressed with my version, check out Kermit and Bret McKenzie, of Flight of the Conchords fame.  I dare you to try and be in a bad mood after watching this video, even if you are turning 30.

Sep20

Oh Darling! (or, I pretend to be a rockstar for an evening)

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Oh Darling! (or, I pretend to be a rockstar for an evening)

Since July, I’ve been going once a week to rehearse in a Blues band workshop through Blue Bear Music School in San Francisco.  As I’ve discovered, Blue Bear is one of these very San Franciscan things.  For the workshops, if you can show basic proficiency in an instrument, you sign up and they put you in a band with two guitars, a bass, a drummer, a keyboardist, and two vocalists. (If you’re me, you manage to play both vocals and keyboard.)  At the end of the session, the have a “showcase” of all the workshop bands at a local club.  Our band was called Blues Frog, named as an homage to Sad Kermit, who you should all go check out on YouTube.  As you may have figured out by now, our showcase was tonight at Cafe Du Nord.  There were even a few people in the audience we didn’t invite.  (Not that many… Monday’s a tough night to fill a club.)  Dave, who I did invite, was kind enough to record a song for me on my crappy camera… please enjoy as we attempt not to embarrass ourselves by covering the greatest band of all time.  I’m speaking of the Beatles, of course, and the song is Oh Darling!

Amal managed to give me the best compliment of the night: Value for dollar, we were better than Madonna.  (And there was a cover, so it’s not like it was nothing.)

Also, holy crap, that’s what I sound like?  I don’t sound like that in my head.

Sep10

That concert atmosphere

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That concert atmosphere

While I was home, my dad and I went to see Stevie Nicks live at Mystic Lake in their outdoor amphitheater.  (Incidentally, my ticket was supposed to be for my mom, but I took when my mother failed to name three Stevie Nicks songs… actually, she failed to name even one.)  Before the concert started, when we were sitting in our seats, my dad announced that he knew his youth was over.  “How?” I asked.

He took a big inhale through his nose.  “Smell that?” he asked.

I smelled the air.  “No… I don’t smell anything but maybe a freshly mowed lawn.”

“Exactly,” he said, “I’m at an outdoor Stevie Nicks concert and the only grass I smell is the lawn.  My youth is over.”

Now, fast forward to tonight…

Brandi Carlile was opening for Ray LaMontagne at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, an outdoor amphitheater.  I wasn’t originally going to go, because while I’m a fan of Brandi’s, I’d only heard two Ray LaMontagne songs and all the good seats were sold out anyhow.  But this afternoon I found a seat dead center in the fourth row for face value on craigslist, so at the list minute I arranged to meet some strangers from LA whose friend had canceled on them and buy their spare ticket.

Brandi was great… played some new stuff which seems to be leaning more country than her old stuff.  Then Ray came on… and well, things got aromatic.  And it wasn’t just me who started smelling things.  After two or three songs, Ray started to talk and introduce the band, but quickly just started laughing, “Sorry, Berkeley, but all I can smell is your pot.”

So there you are, Dad.  Your youth might be over, but it’s alive and kicking in Berkeley.

And despite not knowing much about him past the two songs Pandora keeps playing for me, I’m now a definite fan of Ray LaMontagne.  In particular, I have new favorite song of the moment: Like Rock and Roll & Radio.  He played it as his final encore and I liked it so much I bought his new album.

Aug14

Congratulations, Sarah and John!

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Congratulations, Sarah and John!

I’m back in my old stomping grounds of Ann Arbor for the weekend, to celebrate the wedding of Sarah B and John.  The wedding was de-lovely; held at a farm outside of town with an outdoor ceremony, tented reception (just in time for the rain), and dance in a barn with a jazz band.

Also, there were puzzles provided by yours truly.  If you’d like to try your hand at them, they can be found here:

http://web.mit.edu/errhode/Public/puzzle/SarahAndJohn-Puzzles.pdf

No knowledge of the bride and groom is required…

But back to the band… I heard them warming up, playing strands of De-lovely by Cole Porter, which I once arranged for SSAA and sang A2 on.  (I also knew it was the wedding song as I wrote a puzzle around it.)  So, I walked over and chatted with them for a bit where I learned that the Easy Street Jazz Band has been playing continuously as a band in some version or another for 40+ years and they were even nominated for a grammy in the early 80s, playing with Bonnie Raitt.  And they learned that I have some singing experience, especially with De-Lovely.

After that, I had a brief chat with the bride and groom, and the next thing I knew, I was on for singing with the band during the bride and groom’s first dance, entirely unrehearsed and completely sight-reading the second bonus verse written just for the wedding.  The key was a touch high, but I managed.  I got a few compliments — the biggest of all probably being from a friend who didn’t realize it was me and had just figured that the band had a vocalist.  Later I went back and sang Blue Skies in a key a bit more fitting for me.  It was a hoot… and the band leader actually asked if I live in Ann Arbor and wanted to come out to their regular Tuesday gig.  I’m a little sad that I don’t — that band is phenomenal!

So, thank you to John and Sarah for allowing me to indulge in one of my fantasies (just jumping in with a band like that) and for letting me be part of your wonderful day and your de-lovely moment.  Congratulations on a wedding I’ve seen coming for years and best wishes on what is sure to be a long and happy marriage!

Jun2

The Time of Your Life

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The Time of Your Life

The server hosting this blog seemed to be down over the weekend, so this is the delayed updated from the Bay Area portion of my trip. Coming soon are my first impressions of Target Field…
I was hanging out with Amal, lalopez, Breath, and Resa in Half Moon Bay last Saturday and we decided to get some ice cream at M Coffee. By the time we got our orders, the place had officially closed and turned into a birthday party for one of the local musicians and her friends. They had a performance space set up and asked who wanted to play first.
Amal volunteered.
It confused nearly everyone in the place as they whispered amongst themselves to figure out who knew him and how he got there. But someone lent him a guitar, plugged him in, and the rest was history…

He didn’t suck.
The local musicians of Half Moon Bay remain confused as to who this mysterious stranger was.

Jan31

Things I didn’t blog about this month

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Things I didn’t blog about this month

I will attempt to make up for more than month of blogging by trying to summarize things I would have blogged about had I remembered to.

  • Hockey at Fenway — Courtesy of Jeff Roberts, I got a ticket to see college ice hockey at Fenway Park. Unfortunately, Sheeva was coming in for a visit that night so I couldn’t stay to see the much touted BU vs. BC (men’s) matchup. Instead, I got to see UNH vs. Northeastern women’s teams play. And it turns out that not only is my sister right and women’s hockey is just not as interesting as men’s,* but the way they set up the ice at Fenway was to run it diagonal across the infield from first to third. As a results, there were literally no good seats as the only ones anywhere near the rink where near the ends and no one sat at center ice.

  • Mystery Hunt — This really deserves it’s own lengthy post, but I’m never going to get around it. That being said, much fun was had despite the fact that I lost my voice to the point that Sunday morning I was Skype chatting to people sitting next to me because it was easier and less painful than trying to talk. While going to sleep was probably the healthy option for me at that point, there were too many people around who aren’t normally and I figured I’d sleep when they left. And oh, did I! There were a number of puzzles I enjoyed, but the one best suited for a blog post was Peek Yrrej Tuo. Our task on this puzzle was to remake the Godfather without saying the title of the movie. (I misinterpreted that rule and made a silent film.) Initially a group of undergrads were set to make it on their own. However, when I went to check on them, it turned out none of them had actually seen the movie and they were basing it on things they had read on wikipedia. This was taking too long, so I jumped in to direct and made the masterpiece embedded below.
  • Cheese and Biscuits — I taught myself how to make cheese from a Minnesota State Fair recipe. It was kind of like cream cheese and I infused it with garlic and chives. When I was finished, I wound up with a bunch of leftover whey. From this, I made a ridiculous amount of biscuits: first a batch for a potluck and then multiple batches for an impromptu biscuit party I threw when Breath was in town unannounced. No one who has had the cheese has died and everyone loved the biscuits, so I call it a success.
  • The Vikings choking in the NFC Championship game — Actually, I don’t want to talk about this.
  • Brandi Carlile — I just got back from Portsmouth, NH where I saw Brandi Carlile sing for the second time in the past year. It was a sold out show, but I managed to grab a ticket from someone on Craigslist this morning. And it was an amazing show and so worth the hour drive. If her voice doesn’t give you chills, something is wrong with you. (I actually much prefer the live arrangement of “Oh Dear” with five voices and a ukulele instead of the more fully orchestrated version on the album.) In my fantasy life in which I became a singer instead of a scientist/engineer sort, I sound like her. After the show, I waited around and got her autograph and we even talked about the State Fair ever so briefly! Oh, and the opening act, Katie Herzig, was pretty good too.

Now, without further ado, “The Internet” presents The Godfather starring Harrison Bralower as Marlon Brando, directed by me (as you can hear at various points):

* It’s the no-checking rule.

Aug7

A Beatle at a Ballpark

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A Beatle at a Ballpark

Holy crap.
DSC03005.JPG
I don’t care how awesome you think your Thursday night was — mine was more awesome. In fact, pick your best Thursday night ever and mine still beats it. Ask any one who knows me even a little what my two biggest obsessions are and they will tell you they are baseball and The Beatles. Somewhere I even have a 7th grade art assignment reflecting this. So, Paul McCartney at Fenway Park with a two and a half hour Beatle-heavy* set? Pretty much the most awesome thing ever. *(20 of 33 songs were Beatles, 6 were Wings, and only 2 were from his latest album. The man knows why people come to see him.)
A loud rocking and rolling shout out to Chris Morse for the ticket — who knew that Red Sox season tickets get you first dibs on rock concerts too?
Oh, and the drummer was amazing. Not only could he play the skins, but he provided some great backing harmonies too. Actually, the whole band was pretty great.
And finally, the full set list with any notes I remember about them…

Read the rest of this entry →

Mar17

Bobby McFerrin

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Bobby McFerrin

If you only know Bobby McFerrin from “Don’t Worry Be Happy,” then you don’t know enough about Bobby McFerrin. However, you’ll still be able to appreciate this as you discover just how awesomely talented this man is.
On a related note, my cello-playing housemate Mark and I have found the music from the Andante movement of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Mandolins and will be attempting to recreate a track from McFerrin and Yo-Yo Ma’s CD, Hush. I’m sure it won’t compare to the original, but it’ll be fun to learn nonetheless.

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